Mission statement: "To promote the wholesome physical, economical, social and spiritual development of the marginalized people, especially children in the spirit of Christ" KIM ministers to several socially and economically disadvantaged communities around Vellore. They asked eMi to help out with urgent landscaping and drainage needs as well as toilet blocks for each site.
PERRIYAR NAGAR
Our team visited two of the sites that KIM ministers to. The first site is a slum right on the outskirts of Vellore. This visit really caught me off guard emotionally. I have seen poverty before but I was still very much burdened by it all. Immediately when we got off the bus, children were running up to us, wanting to hold our hands and know our names. None of them were wearing shoes and some not fully clothed. As they were holding my hands, I was blown away by their joy and how much these children were smiling. They wanted attention. They wanted love… and in that moment, I felt so helpless. I knew that there was work to be done. We needed to test the water quality of their drinking water and we needed to survey the site but I was so burdened thinking about how we are going to help them. They were living in poor conditions, small homes with a little bit of drinking water, and 30% of them are suffering from tuberculosis. As just a student with little experience, I felt very inadequate.
This site is on a flood plane and has a HUGE drainage problem. Two months out of the year the village is flooded because of the intense rain season and the people are forced to leave their homes to stay dry. They have no toilets, so they have no choice but to use the fields around them. They have one well that is used for washing and their drinking water is only provided weekly by the government. With a kit from LifeWater International we tested the quality of water coming from these water sources (picture below). We tested for coliform bacteria, pH, chlorine, nitrates/nitrites, hardness, and iron. The most important test is the coliform bacteria because coliform is abundant in feces. So if found in a water source, there are probably disease-causing bacteria present in the water. Unfortunately the tests we took did turn positive. The water samples turned black with a 24-hour span, indicating the presence of bacterial contamination. It was a horrible feeling realizing that the drinking water was contaminated and that there is a huge need for water sanitation. But now with this information eMi has the opportunity to help provide clean drinking methods and hopefully help prevent future diseases among the people.
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